The use of stucco as a construction material is well known in the prior art. Specifically, stucco has been used as an exterior coating for buildings for many years because it is durable and withstands the elements. Stucco is usually made of portland cement, sand, and a small percentage of lime and is applied in a plastic state to form a hard covering for exterior walls.
Stucco is a cementitious material and is relatively porous. As a result, water is able to permeate the stucco and cause damage. Potential freezing and thawing of the water along with the accompanying expansion and contraction will form cracks in the stucco that weakens the overall structure. Additionally, any water that permeates the stucco can cause damage to the frame of the structure that the stucco is protecting.
It is also desirable that the stucco product be able to withstand heat and fire. Because stucco is used primarily on buildings, it is important that the stucco protect the structure by upholding against fire.
Various techniques have been disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,869,474 (Perez-Pena et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 5,634,307 (Larriberot et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 5,624,714 (Gaveske), U.S. Pat. No. 5,576,065 (Gaveske), U.S. Pat. No. 5,575,841 (Dry), U.S. Pat. No. 5,482,737 (Gaveske), U.S. Pat. No. 4,689,358 (Schorr et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 4,346,050 (Trent), U.S. Pat. No. 4,088,804 (Cornwell), U.S. Pat. No. 3,616,173 (Green et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 2,681,863 (Croce et al.), and U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 20050092210 (Radtke, Jr.) and 20050092209 (Garner) to overcome the problems with water permeating cementitous materials and protecting structures from flames. However, each of these disclosures suffers from one or more of the following disadvantages. First, these patents/patent applications do not describe cementitous materials that are both water resistant and flame resistant. Each material either exhibits some water resistant properties or some flame resistant properties but not both. Second, most of these patents/patent applications describe coatings that reduce water permeation. However, the coatings described require a time-consuming additional step when installing stucco and are expensive. Third, the coatings do not provide the same effectiveness received by using a material where the water resistant properties are an integral part of the material. When the water resistant and flame resistant materials are an integral part of the cementitous material, the cementitous material can better withstand water permeation and fire.